Rare Twin Echidna Puggles Born at San Diego Zoo Safari Park

Two echidna puggles, known as twins, were born to a single mother named Kathryn at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park earlier this year, an extremely rare occurrence. The short-beaked echidna, an egg-laying monotreme native to Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea, typically lays one egg per breeding season. One puggle is being raised by Kathryn in a burrow, while the other, which experienced a weight plateau, is being hand-raised at the zoo's Harter Veterinary Medical Center with round-the-clock care. Veterinarians have used ultrasound to monitor the hand-raised puggle's digestion, an unexpected breakthrough that helps tailor its feeding schedule. The species is listed as least concern by the IUCN, but long-beaked echidnas face greater threats.